This unique situation was not imposed on her, “This was my choice: accepting a challenging position and a challenging field (sustainability)” she told Arab News. Asya was happy about her appointment to the Shoura Council as a consultant as “this represented a recognition of the rights of Saudi women.” However she hoped that the participation becomes more and more effective with the appointment of full time members in the near future.
As a businesswoman, Asya was the first to launch a Saudi consultancy specialized in corporate social responsibility (CSR). “Everyone around me thought it was not sustainable, especially financially, but I still followed my own path as my main drive was development and not profit.” Today, her company attracts a portfolio of international and leading local clients and is among the top 20 companies owned by Saudi women. “It really took us three years to communicate the business case of CSR to companies. As much as our corporate sector spends on charity and philanthropy, it wasn’t easy to push it to strategic CSR and smart philanthropy. Today, we are able — through constant interaction, studies, surveys, projects and initiatives — to attract companies and encourage them to adopt strategic CSR policies and programs.”
In a market where trends pick up quickly, and with possible competition, Asya encourages more consultancies to start up. “They will help create awareness and promote responsible practices in the corporate sector,” she added.
The only challenge or hope she highlighted is that newcomers spread the right understanding of CSR and not the concept that limits CSR to ad hoc community service.
“CSR is much bigger than community service. In fact today the trend is to drop the word social and to stick to corporate responsibility. And this is what we need to promote: The company’s responsibility toward each and every one of its stakeholders. For that, companies need to map their stakeholders, consult them (and not assume their issues), map their issues and priorities, understand national priorities (based on research), and then come up with a strategy and initiatives, and, most importantly, communicate them. Today this is the key, and for that I have added two companies under Tamkeen International to support Tamkeen SA (CSR consultancy) — one specialized in CSR communication and the other in market research.”
Regarding her focus now, Asya said, “I am determined more than ever to raise the bar of CSR practice in the Kingdom by focusing and pushing for orchestrating the efforts between all parties (public and private) in that direction to ensure homogeneity and partnership for sustainable development. I will do my best to push that professionally through the Shoura Council, and through Tamkeen SA to ensure each party in each sector participates in this movement toward sustainability. The problem today is that each wants to own or champion the concept, while what is needed is for each to champion one part and partner with the others to create the right environment for sustainability.”
As a businesswoman Asya sees the greatest challenge in the sector of sustainable development. “Work in this sector demands enlightenment and a change of the thinking pattern,” she added. According to her, the current number of businesswomen in Saudi Arabia is too low and she expects it to increase and boom within the next seven years. “A businesswoman is both a responsible and accountable person. Business is a field for knowledge and change of thought. It is more than making gains or incurring losses,” she said.
Asya asked businesswomen to look not only for profitable projects but to “create investment ideas through mobilizing the funds in the banks of which Saudi women own the largest chunk either through inheritance or other means.” In this domain, she lauded the investment experiment of Nahid Taher who established Gulf One.
The fluctuation between rare opportunities and great challenges made Asya go for investing in development projects, which is not profitable. She recalled that the real beginning of Tamkeen came after the incidents of 9/11. “I took advantage of my presence in America with my daughter to complete my higher studies. This coincided with the 9/11 incident, which was a turning point in my life. I witnessed the preparations of war against Iraq. This made me see the other face of America through the Americans themselves,” she said. Asya said the moves against America’s war inclinations woke her up from the “American dream.” I found myself in a defensive position. My agitated and direct reaction did not bear fruit. This made me think of going back home. She said the media attacks against Saudis made her more determined to mobilize society in her own country so as to help create a real civic society. “I was convinced that we did not deserve all these attacks but became more determined to work toward a positive change in my society.”
She said the company targeted decision-makers in the world of business. “As I mentioned earlier we try to guide them toward practices that can contribute to sustainable development in the Kingdom. There can be no sustainable development if the leaders of the companies do not adopt the parameters which seek to be responsible toward their employees,” she said. She said her company did not ignore the importance of the role of the government sector in the sustainable development. “I presented a study to the Shoura Council aimed at boosting the social responsibility role of the government departments. The council appreciated it when it was presented. The study is still at the council for discussion and I believe it will take its course.”
Drifting away from the business challenges and aspirations, Arab News asked Asya about her family’s stance on her work involvement as she comes from a more or less conservative family. “You would be surprised, my family is my first supporter. I am the eldest of my sisters and brother and since I was young, and no matter how much difference I had with my parents, they allowed me to do BE. My father put in me a sense of responsibility and leadership, and my mother supported me and shaped my aspirations to fit what is expected from me in society and culture. Today my family, including my brother Ziad, is proud of my achievements and encourages me to move forward. I don’t think I would have gotten there without them!”